Norway Prepares Law for Total Trade Ban with Illegal Israeli Settlements

The Norwegian government has officially announced ambitious plans to ban all trade activities with illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. The move is taken as a form of Oslo’s commitment to opposing colonisation policies deemed to undermine long-term peace prospects.

Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in an official statement on Friday (19/6/2026), stressed that Norwegian citizens and companies must not contribute to sustaining the existence of these illegal settlements. “Colonisation policies undermine the possibility of achieving a two-state solution,” the statement read.

The draft law proposed by the Norwegian government includes a very broad prohibition, not limited solely to manufactured goods. Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide stated that the government wants to stop all commercial activities that support the existence of these colonies. “These colonies undermine the foundation of a Palestinian state,” Eide asserted.

The bill will enter a three-month public consultation period until 19 September. Despite imposing a boycott on illegal settlements, the Norwegian government emphasised that trade relations with legal Palestinian activities and the provision of humanitarian aid will continue.

Norway’s move comes amid similar pressure from Ireland, which is urging the 27 member states of the European Union to take similar action. However, to date, there has been no consensus within the EU to sever preferential trade agreements with Israel.

Since the war in Gaza erupted in October 2023, violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinian communities in the West Bank has reportedly increased sharply. Various international bodies continue to remind that Israeli settlements on Palestinian land since 1967 are illegal under international law.